The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1887-11-11
LINeG,s BOMBS.

Condemned Anarchist Loaded with Dyn-
amite-He Denies All knowledge of
Them--Letters from Spies, Parsons and
the Others Asserting Their Non-Cpn-
nection with the Affair.
CHICAGO, Nov S-The finding of four
Dynamite bombs in Louis Lingg's cell on
Sunday morning, combined with the news
of George Engel's attempted suicide late
Saturday night threw everybody into a
state OF anxiety. yesterday. The jail officials
were as nervous as outsiders.
Sheriff Matson reported the result of the
ANALYSIS of the bombs In each of them
was found a sufficient quantity OF the dead
" explosives to create havoc and desolation
wherever exploded
Lingg denied that he knew any thing
about the existence of the bombs in box
when examined by Jailor Folz on the sub
iect Mr.. Foiz, however, believes that
Engel knew about them being in Lingg's
cell
yesterday afternoon Mr. W. NJ. Salter, who
has been working in company with II. D.
Lloyd to, secure the signatures Of prOmi-
nent citizens to a request for commuta-
sion of the sentence against the
Anarchists, asked Spies to say plainly what
he knew about the bombs found in
Linggs cell Sunday. Spies wrote the fol-
lowing, and to it are appended the sigma
lures of Fielden and Schwah:
CHICAGO, ILL.,, Nov. Z, 1SS7.-sfr. Safer: tbs
useless for me and my friends to say that We
had no knowledge of any thing of the kind.
No sane man would have bombs in bis cell
or countenance any such thing in Cell
think of iti--subject to search at any mom9nt
and at all times The first intima'
ton received of the matter came from Sheriff
Matson last evening. 1 could not believe ii at
first ard can hardly believe it now! L
haven't SPOKEN to Lngg for-I think
nine months [ don't know much of him,
but 1 think that he is mOnomaniac.
Had only seen him Once or twice be-
fore we were put together and charged with
conspiracy l don't believe that single one
of the other prisoners had even as nuch as a
suspicion, for, otherwise, they would
undoubtedly have reasoned the man
out of his folly. What use was he going to
make of the shells? Throw them into the jail?
What intention, what object could there have
been in such an undertaking? 1 repeat no sane
man Seuld be capable of such thing.
"Lingg, as far as can Judge him, seeks to
be martyred, and, 20 be candid, would like the
rest of us to go with him. Did he put those
instruments into his cell So that they might
be found? This is the question
have been asking myself. II he had
bucIu GDeTc LOT any puVpOSG ILLS ID lnC cbi5
that looks plausible to me. He wants 10 die,
thinking thereby to help the cause of labor.
But he wanted us to die also. Perhaps
he thought that the best and surest way to
bring this about was to place q few bombs in
his cell. & have neT'er met as peculiar
man as he is before in my life, and for almost
year have considered m u monomaniac,
and have had nothing to do with him.
''You ask me to condemn his action. It's
m the opti,O n irrpSOOn-
sible man! If any one holds us, or any one OF
us, responsible for Lingg's Deeds then 1 can't
see why we shouldn't be held responsible for
any mischief, whatsoever, committed in the
world And it has actually come to that. We
are being made the scapegoats for every thing.
Very sincerely yours, A. SPIES.
Parsons wrote:
Tits the ,merest nonsense, canard, q fake.
q put-up job to create q sensation and manu-
facture popular prejudice. How in the world
could bombs get into Lingg's cell unknown to
those whose sole business it is to see that
no such things can get there? Incredi-
ble They say these bombs found in
Lingg's cell are seven inches long and one
inch in diameter, and there were four of them.
There is no aperture in wire gratings through
which missiles could get in anyhow. Or have
the obliging guards at the inspection room
"a little partition where packages for prison
ers are examned) been passing up bombs to
Linggs cell? Remember our cells wero
searched about three or four weeks ago,
and the scrutiny has been redoubled s:nce-
Nothing was found then. Well, it was
impossible for bombs TO go to Lingg without
the knowledge of the officials 1t not in
possible that some Of the many persons
who have had ready access to his cell put them
there during the exercise hour, or put them
there after he was taken out of his cell
There are those in this community who
would not hesitate a moment TO put up
such job on the Anarchists. Lingg could
have for bombs in the jail. 1t would
be simply impossible to use them, and it would
be impossible to get them without de-
lection. Those bombs, if they were
really found there, were put there by
some one whose business it was to find
them there. They could not get into the cell
In any other way. This last find of bombs is
in keeping with the many other fakes lately
thrown upon the community. The story Is too
thin. 1t won't wash. Now, don't irnpute
conspiracy to the Jail authorities. 1 believe
both Folz and Matson are honorable men.
Such has, at any rate, been their treatment OF
myself"
The text of the petition which has been
signed by Spies. Schwab and Fielden is as
follows:
t"CHICAGo, Nov. 3, 1887. GOVERNOR RICHARD
j. OGLEsBY, SPRINGFIELD, ILL, SIR:-In order
that the truth may be known by you and the
public you represent we desire to state that we
never advocated the use of force except in case
of self-defense. To accuse us of having at
2 tented to overthrow law and government on
May A. 1886 or at any other time, is as false as it
is absurd
"Whatever we said or did was said and done
publicly. We have never conspTed or plotted
to commit an unlawful act. While we attacked
thepre5ent social arrangements in writing and
speech and exposed their iniQuities, we have
never consciously broken any laws
$50 far from having planned the killing of
any body at the Haymarket or anywhere else
the very object of the meeting was to pro-
test against the commission of murder. We
believe it to be our duty as friends Of labor and
liberty to oppose any other use Of force than in
the necessary defense of sacret nights against
unlawful attacks.
"All our efforts have been in the direction of
the elevation of mankind and to remove as
much as possible the causes Of crime in society.
Our labor was unselish. No motives of per-
sonal gain or ambition prompted US. Thou
sands and thousands will bear testimony TO
this. We may have erred at times in our judg-
ment--yes, we have Loved not wisely, but too
we'll
eff in the excitement of propagating our
views, we were led into expressions which
caused worSing-men to think that aggressive
force was proper instrument of reform we re-
greet it. We deplofe the loss of life at the Hay
market as at McCormick's, at East ST. Louis
and the Chicago Stock Yards. Very respect.
fully, A. SPIES,
"MICHAEL SCHwAB,
'"SAMUEL FIELDEg,"
CHEERING O'BRlEN'S SPIRIT.